Turning Japanese

O.K, so, thoughts on Japan:
would I go there again?
Most definitely. Tokyo city is absolutely vast & in 6 or 7 days I've barely scratched the surface of it. I picked a dozen things to see & do, more or less at random, covering my interests in cars, motorcycles, music & architecture, but the city has so many more facets -it'd take months to explore it all & even then, the next visitor would find a dozen completely different things to do. I'm not a recreational shopper, but if shopping & restaurants are your thing, then Tokyo has plenty of that. If, like me, you prefer exploring sub cultures & looking for a more uniquely Japanese experience, then that's there too.
At first glance it appears chaotic -& the mad mix of ancient & modern buildings wedged tightly together can get quite claustrophobic at times, but it's actually very well organised -there's a huge army of little guys in uniform, holding signs, waving directional batons & blowing whistles & everybody follows their instructions without question, so it all flows very efficiently.
I'm told the public transport is also highly efficient, but travelling on my own & not speaking a word of the language, it all looked a bit overwhelming -I ended up chickening out & using taxis everywhere, which obviously isn't the cheapest option. I found most taxi drivers don't speak English though. The younger generations are taught it at secondary school now, but very few older people do. My phone network doesn't cover Japan but my hotel had wi-fi, so I resorted to Googling addresses each evening, taking a screenshot of them & showing it to the driver the next morning. Even then I had a couple of instances where they stopped the taxi, took my phone & went off to find a teenager to consult with. We always got there in the end.
The people were lovely -I genuinely didn't meet an unpleasant one. Not even a mildly grumpy one. Everyone was remarkably helpful & patient with the idiot Englishman. If I asked directions, they'd stop what they were doing & walk me to the end of the street to show me the way at the next junction. I thought perhaps they'd be introverted & quiet, but they were outgoing, friendly & welcoming.
Virtually no crime & no litter -which actually became a bit of a problem. There are no public litter bins in Tokyo. Not a single one. Everybody takes their litter home & recycles it, which is fine, unless you're a tourist. I like to walk. I explore on foot, so will often grab a bottle of water & walk along with it -but what do you do with it once it's empty? I spent hours wandering along, carrying empty bottles. In the end I resorted to buying a Coke in McDonalds, then taking the empty cup back into the next branch I came to, to put it in their bin. Rather than just shooting a trayful of rubbish into one bin, the fast food restaurants break it down -cups in here, straws there, used ice in the bucket over there. All very efficient.
There are shrines everywhere, which I found fascinating. Over the years the city's encroached on them until they're now wedged between houses & shops -I'd wander down a side street, past cafes & shops, turn the corner & find a thousand year old temple. Shinto, (Buddhism), is the national religion & it's very much part of everyday life. I'd often see businessmen in suits & shopgirls, stopping to offer a quick prayer at an alter on their way to work.
I was there during the 2 week cherry blossom season, which is a big tourist draw. The parks & open spaces were awash with pink & white blossom & looked gorgeous in the Spring sunshine.
I'd like to see the country beyond the big city -the smaller towns & mountains & coastline. As I left, in my chauffeur driven Mercedes, on Thursday morning, driving out of town towards the airport, we were treated to a fabulous view of Mount Fuji, illuminated in the early morning sun, much closer & clearer than I'd seen it from the SkyTree observation tower, then again as the plane took off. I couldn't photograph it as my phone was packed away in my bag by then, but it's an impressive sight. I have the memory of it though.
Chatting to a mate back in England yesterday, he'd like to go to Tokyo for his 40th birthday in 3 years time. I'll be 60 exactly a month later, so it looks like I'll be returning then.
Was it expensive? My flights & hotel, (3 - 4 star, including breakfast), booked through a travel agent rather than online, cost £2,300 for a week including chaffeured travel to & from the airport. I spent 900 quid while I was there. I bought a few souvenirs for friends & a couple of evening meals, but the rest was mainly taxi fares & entry fees to attractions. Interestingly, unlike my trips to America, the Japanese don't tip at all -it's seen as demeaning & condescending, but conveniently saved me a few pounds. I'm sure it could be done much cheaper if you booked online.
The 12 hour non stop flight with British Airways was a bit too much for me, particularly going there overnight. I think next time I'd use a different airline that had a stop-over halfway, so at least I could stretch my legs for a while before continuing.
Having a working phone would make life easier, (in the States I rely on Google Maps to find my way about). You can buy a 30 day tourist SIM card, which would give you internet access, but predictably, mine refused to work. Google has an app' that reads Japanese -you just hold your phone up to a sign & it will translate it into English. I met a couple of American guys who were using it, but again, no good if you have no phone service.
Some pedestrian signs are in Japanese & English, but not all. Roadsigns appear to be mostly Japanese. Stating the English version of destinations to taxi drivers will get you nowhere, (literally), because they sound nothing like the Japanese names & I wasn't confident enough to attempt Oriental pronounciations.
Restaurants in the busier areas usually have English versions of the menus, but lots have photographs you can point to & displays of imitation food in the window so you can see what they serve.
In a week, travelling alone, I had no real problems at all. I spent Saturday night at a car meeting & was wandering around the streets at 2.0.clock in the morning in complete safety -I'd think twice about doing that in parts of my own town. As I said, I didn't meet anyone who wasn't helpful & welcoming.
Most bizarre experience -joining the back of a taxi queue, only to be ushered to the front when a cab arrived, then waved off by the whole queue as we drove away.
I enjoyed Tokyo & would definitely return, hopefully to travel further afield.
If you get the chance, go.